All The Right Reasons
by Watcher of the Hearts
Summary: Takes place right after Crossroads of Destiny, and follows along with what road the group takes. Kataang and Sukka. Rated M for some minor adult themes and violence.
1. Chapter 1

**GASP! Another story!! Lol yes yes I know, im working on others right now, but this one just pretty much hit me like a 10 ton bison and I just had to write it!! Lol. It takes place right after Crossroads of Destiny. **

…**and yes….it's a Kataang with some Sukka (I guess that's what its called as far as Sokka/Suki goes lol) as well. **

…**and I really cant remember whether or not there was a name for the leader of Kyoshi Island (its been so long since I've actually seen that episode lol) so I decided to name him Shan.)**

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Waking Up 

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The air bison glided through the air quietly the weary passengers on his back, exhausted from their battle. The teenage water tribe warrior boy looked down from where he sat before looking to his sister.

"So, where are we gonna go now?" Sokka's quiet voice suddenly cut through the air. Katara turned and looked to her brother with sad blue eyes,

"Where _can_ we go?" She sighed and looked down to the sleeping air bender in her arms. She blinked away a tear before it had the chance to fall "Right now, the most important thing is to try and find someplace safe so Aang can rest…so we all can" A silence fell over them once more, the only sound coming from Bosco as he yawned loudly.

"Well…what about Kyoshi Island?" Sokka looked to Katara. She turned to him.

"Sokka…do you think that's such a good idea?"

"Look Katara, I know you're worried, but I'll be fine. I'm sure Suki is just fine. But right now the most important thing is finding solid, safe ground where Aang can rest." Katara looked at him a moment and nodded.

"Kyoshi Island it is."

The group flew for hours, before Appa's feet softly touched down on the ground. He lay on his stomach, as if to make it easier for Sokka and Katara to carry Aang off. They walked down his tail, Toph following closely behind, holding onto the back of Sokka's shirt so she wouldn't fall. The Earth King followed behind them, and of course, Bosco was close behind. When they made it to solid ground Sokka and Katara each slung an arm of Aang's over their shoulders. They looked around the silent sleeping town. It was too late to be awake, and too early for the sun to rise.

"Come on…there's a infirmary around here somewhere." Sokka shifted Aang as easily as he could and they began to walk on. They finally came to the building and Katara knocked on the door. After a moment a short plump woman came to the door, wrapped in a night robe. Her eyes widened at the sight of the group standing before her.

"Friends of the Avatar! Please, come inside." She spoke with a hushed voice so as not to wake anyone else and moved aside to let them all in. "What happened?"

"Ba Sing Se has fallen." Toph replied. The earth king whimpered at the fact of hearing it again. The woman looked to the King and then to Katara and Sokka.

"And the Avatar?"

"He's going to be alright." Katara looked to Aang and then the woman, biting her bottom lip before she said anything that may make her cry. The woman nodded.

"Come, you all need your rest, and then you can tell your story to the Shan, our leader, in the morning." She turned and led them down a hallway and into a large room filled with beds. "If you need anything, just ask. My name is Lin." Katara nodded to her,

"Thank you." Lin nodded and walked out. Toph made her way to a bed and plopped down onto the mattress.

"Finally. Some rest and relaxation." She placed her arms under her head, yawning loudly. Sokka and Katara gently rested Aang into a bed and Sokka walked away, leaving Katara at Aang's side. He sat on a bed and looked around, Toph was already fast asleep, and in the corner of the room the Earth King was looking rather disgustedly at a bed as Bosco groaned, plopping backwards onto the closest bed. Following suit the King laid down in his own bed. Katara sat on the edge of Aang's bed, running a thumb over the top of his hand gently. Sokka walked over, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Katara, he's going to be okay." She merely nodded. "You're a master waterbender Katara, you used the Oasis water…and even more important, you care about Aang. We all do. He's going to be okay." He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

"I know Sokka…I'm just worried. We almost…" her voice cracked and she turned, sobbing into Sokka. He caught her quickly; he hadn't exactly expected her to break down like that.

"I know Katara…I know. It's going to be okay." He spoke soothingly to her, letting her cry onto his shirt. He placed a hand on top of her head in an attempt to calm her down. "Why don't you try to get some rest? We've all had a really long day." Katara sniffled, nodding her head as she stood up.

"Thanks Sokka…" She hugged him once more before turning and walking to the bed on the other side of Aang's. She lay down and curled up, lying on the one side that would allow her to see Aang. She watched Sokka turn over in his own bed, his back to her, and slowly, she drifted off to sleep.

The next day Katara woke up to find the room occupied by only herself and Aang. The sun shined through the windows in its afternoon light. She stood up and stretched lightly, making her way to Aang's bed. She shifted the blankets over him lightly and sat down on the edge, looking over his face. She heard someone walk into the room. She turned to see Sokka.

"Hey…you're up." She nodded lightly.

"Yea, where is everyone?"

"Just around town. We spoke with Shan, the leader here, this morning. He said he'd talk to you when you're ready. And Aang of course when he wakes up." He paused a moment, watching his sister. "You should get something to eat. It's pretty late ya know."

"I'm fine Sokka." He looked at her a moment before giving in.

"Alright. I'm going eat something and go around the island, see if anyone's heard anything about he Kyoshi Warriors…and Suki." Katara looked to him,

"You didn't ask during the meeting?"

"It was kinda rushed. Strictly business. The others wanted to start making plans to start getting together an army of some sort, but Shan told them to wait until after you and Aang talk to him." Sokka looked out the window" Sokka looked out the window. "Well…I'm gonna go. I'll see you later." He turned towards the door and stopped, looking back to his sister.

"Katara…please, just eat something okay? You can't let yourself starve." Katara nodded, not saying anything. Sokka watched her another moment before turning and walking out of the room.

Sokka made his way outside after having eaten a few pieces of dried meat he had found in his bag. Those in the streets waved to him, asking him how he and the rest of the group were doing. But for some strange reason, whenever Sokka asked someone about the Warriors, they made an excuse of needing to leave, or would quickly change the subject, avoiding it completely. After an hour or so of no luck Sokka decided to try the last person he could think of, the leader of Kyoshi Island.

"If _he_ doesn't know anything then I don't know what I'll do." As Sokka made his way through the town and toward the house where he knew Shan lived.

"Sokka!" he stopped in his tracks, looking around through the bustling crowd. "Sokka!" That was when he saw her. A young woman his age running through the crowd, a broad smile on her face. She wore a basic earth kingdom dress. Sokka did a double take and broke into a wide smile.

"SUKI!" Sokka ran to her and when they met, he scooped her up and twirled her around. He placed her feet back to the ground. "Suki! Where have you be-" he was cut off as Suki's mouth met his, pulling him into a kiss. He gladly returned it, their arms wrapping around one another. The kiss seemed to last forever for the two, and after a few moments Suki broke the kiss, resting her forehead against his despite the rather painful looking, fading bruise she wore from her left cheek up to her forehead.

"I never thought I'd see you again…" she sniffled, burying her head into his shoulder as she began to cry.

"Woah…hey…it's okay. I'm here now." Sokka hugged her, rubbing her back gently. "Everything's going to be okay." He felt Suki's arms wrap tighter around him and he hugged her back more, rubbing her back still. He didn't know what had happened, but he knew, that right now, this was all she needed. "Come on…let's go inside so you can tell me what happened." Suki inhaled deeply, her tears calming and she nodded.

"Alright." Sokka placed an arm around Suki's shoulders and led her towards the infirmary, leading her to the couch in the sitting room. He sat down and took her hands, looking to her as she took a seat next to him. It was then he noticed the bandage-wrapping going from her left hand to her elbow.

"Suki…" he gently trailed a hand from hers, up the bandage, stopping to rest on her elbow.

"Oh Sokka…it was horrible. That…witch of a fire nation princess attacked us. We were trying to help Appa and she attacked us. I didn't think we'd make it out. She and those _friends_ of hers are dangerous. Especially that quick little one. We don't even know if Appa made it out. We fought with all our might but it just wasn't good enough."

"You tried, that's what matters. Appa is fine, and you're fine, and-" he was quickly cut off.

"I was scared Sokka." Sokka looked to her, almost dumbfounded. "I was scared of losing, I was scared we wouldn't make it…. and I was scared I'd never see you again."

"Suki…" Sokka brought an arm around her shoulders, bringing her close into him, resting his head against hers as she rested her own against his shoulder. "You're a great leader and a great fighter Suki. And you're alive and healthy. And I'm sure everyone else is too." Suki nodded lightly, looking down to their hands as Sokka entwined his fingers with her uninjured hand, watched as he lightly ran a thumb over her bandaged hand with his second hand, holding it lightly so as not to hurt her.

"We're all just a little burnt or banged up. But yes, we're fine. But what about Appa? What about all of you? I heard you all made it here late last night."

"Appa is fine. We found him…or actually he found us. That princess you're talking about came with her friends to Ba Sing Se. The city has fallen."

"What?" Suki turned to look to him with scared eyes. Sokka turned to look at her and gripped her uninjured hand supportingly.

"There was a huge fight…and Aang got pretty hurt from that lightning attack Azula uses. We almost lost him. If Katara hadn't been there, I don't think he would have made it."

"Is he going to be okay?"

"Yea, he's just sleeping. I'm sure he'll wake up soon."

"And what about you?"

"I'm fine. And even better I found you again. Azula and her friends came to the city, impersonating Kyoshi Warriors, and I thought it was you. When I asked Ty Lee…that quick little one…about you, she said she never heard of you, and that's when I knew they were lying…that's when we all knew. They tried to take the city down from the inside, and succeeded. All I could think about was if you were okay or not. I'm really glad you are Suki, I really am." Suki smiled to him,

"So am I Sokka." he smiled back and kissed her forehead lightly before wrapping his arm back around her shoulders, keeping his other hand in hers. She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling his own rest once more on hers, and so they sat, comforted by one another and the fact that each other was okay.

Back in the resting room Katara had only moved once to get herself a small bit to eat when hunger clawed at her stomach. She opened the window closest to the bed all the way to let in the warm breeze and took her seat once more at Aang's side.

"Please Aang…wake up. Just wake up." She looked to him, gripping his hand.. In an effort to pass time and to distract her mind for a small amount of time, she had taken a damp cloth and gently washed off his face, arms and hands, clearing them of soot, healing any other scratches and injuries he may have had. After that, she continued to watch over him, her eyes tracing his features. Slowly her hand reached up, gently touching his scalp. She couldn't help but smile lightly at the smooth skin, the blue arrow tattoo. She gently traced her hand down to his cheek, "Aang…" She watched as his eyebrows scrunched together and his eyes squinted. She smiled, watching as his eyes opened.

"H-Hey Katara…" he smiled to her, shifting in his bed.

"Aang! You're okay!" Aang sat up slowly, looking to Katara.

"Yea…" He winced slightly as he sat back and was almost instantly wrapped up in a hug by Katara.

"I was so worried."

"Katara, I…" Aang heard Katara start to cry at the same time he felt the hot tears hitting his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay Katara. I'm okay." Katara shook her head slightly,

"I almost lost you Aang…I was so scared." Aang sat there, unsure of what to do and rubbed her back.

"But I'm okay now Katara. You helped me…thank you."

"But you almost died Aang. What if I didn't know how to heal? What if I hadn't had the water from the Spirit Oasis? What if I hadn't been there? What if-" Aang put his hand over Katara's mouth, hushing her.

"But none of that happened Katara. And I'm okay. And I owe that all to you."

"Aang…" she hugged him once more, feeling a bit better. Suddenly there was the loud sound of Aang's stomach growling. He chuckled and looked to Katara as she sat back from the hug.

"I guess I'm a little hungry." Katara smiled and stood up.

"I'll go get you something to eat." She turned and propped up his pillow, fluffing it, before walking out of the room. Aang watched her go and smiled, sitting back against the pillow. He smiled as he thought about Katara, how she was always there for him, always helping, and always such a good friend.

"I need to tell her." After a few more minutes Katara walked in holding a tray filled with fruits, tea and a bowl of oatmeal. She sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Wow…that's uh…a lot." Katara laughed lightly

"Well I didn't know what you'd want or how hungry you were so I just got a whole bunch. Now eat up."

"Before I do…I need to talk to you about something." Aang looked to her. Katara placed the tray on the night table and looked to him.

"What is it?" Aang reached forward, taking one of her hands in his.

"Well…it's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while now. But every time I try to I seem to get…interrupted." He paused, taking in a deep breath. "Katara…I lo-" He stopped and sighed, looking down nervously.

"Aang?" Katara gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Aang closed his eyes and exhaled before turning his gaze to her.

"When I was being trained by the Guru...he gave me a lot of chakras to unblock. He told me if I unblocked all seven chakras I'd be able to have total control over the Avatar State. I cleared all but one. The Thought Chakra."

"Thought Chakra?"

"It's an earthly attachment; it's what keeps me connected to here. Guru Pathik told me that I needed to let go of whatever I was attached to. But I couldn't. I tried once with him, and again when we were fighting Azula. But I just couldn't let go."

"Well Aang, if it's going to help you, maybe you should just let whatever it is go."

"It's not like that Katara. See…the one thing holding me here is really important. That something…is you. I love you Katara." He looked to her, blushing. Katara felt her own face grow red

"Aang…I-"

"Hey Aang! We heard you were up!" Aang frowned at the fact he was interrupted once again and traded glances with Katara who gave him a slight apologetic look at the fact they were interrupted, a light blush still on her cheeks. Sokka made his way over to the bed, Suki close behind. They joined each other on the opposite side of Katara. "Glad to see you're up buddy." Sokka clapped Aang's shoulder gently so as not to hurt him.

"Thanks Sokka. Hey Suki! You're okay!" Suki smiled to him,

"Glad to see you are too."

"So how ya feeling Aang?" Sokka looked to his friend, smiling.

"Alright. Just really hungry. Where's Toph and the Earth King?"

"Around here somewhere. I think Toph is actually making friends with some of the other Kyoshi Warriors." Sokka chuckled, and Aang's growling stomach cut through the air again.

"Right. Well, we'll just let you eat. I'm sure Katara will be helping. Let's go Suki." He gripped her hand lightly and they walked out of the room, leaving Katara and Aang alone. They watched them leave and Katara turned back to look at Aang, her cheeks pink.

"Hey Aang?"

"…Yea?" He looked to her, a small nervous smile on his face.

"About before… what you said… I…love you too." She blushed deeply, looking down.

"Really?! You do!?" Aang beamed at her. Katara nodded, smiling to him.

"Yea…I have, for a while now." The two smiled at each other for a moment before laughing

"And to think it took us this long to actually say it to one another." Katara smiled to him, shifting forwards a bit more. Aang gripped her hand, placing his free one on top of it.

"Well I'm just glad we actually said it." He smiled to her. Katara leaned towards him a bit more. Aang sat there a quick moment, nervously, before leaning forwards slowly as well. Their lips met softly, eyes closed. At the same time the two felt a jolt run through one another's body and pulled back, blushing fiercely. Katara giggled, smiling to Aang, who wore a rather dopey smile on his face. She shifted on the bed to sit next to him, entwining her fingers with his. Aang's thumb moved gently over her hand, and together the two sat in their happiness, feeling as if they were floating, knowing that one another cared just as much for the other. For now, lunch could wait.

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**Alrighty! What'd ya think? This is my first ever Kataang and I think it came out pretty well. What about you!? And of course I had to have some Sukka in there . I've seriously worked like, 3 days, non-stop on this thing. I'd sit down for hours and just write. Today was actually just the final editing. I really hope everyone likes it. **

**At first, this was going to be just a one shot, but I'm actually thinking about making it a multi-chapter. Feedback is appreciated. Thanks!**

**OH! And I might, just might, attempt a Tokka!! le gasp! Lol. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Just a really cute fluff filled chapter. I got the inspiration for this one and thought it was just too cute to make into a longer chapter. **

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Chapter 2 

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"Freeze Mister." Aang sighed and turned around to see Katara in the doorway. He reached a hand back up behind his head rubbing the back of it.

"Oh, hey there Katara. Didn't see ya there. I was just…opening the window." He flicked a hand behind him, sending a puff of air into the window, opening it. "See?" Katara, who had been leaning casually against the doorframe, her arms crossed, raised an eyebrow.

"Uh-huh. Sure you were. And I was just riding the Unagi." She walked in the rest of the way and looked to him, her eyes softening. "You're supposed to be resting Aang."

"But I'm fine! Really! See!?" He jumped into the air, making an air scooter. He jumped onto it but within a few seconds it wavered and he fell, his feet touching the floor. "Okay…so maybe my energy isn't totally back. But it's not like I'll get hurt or anything if I go outside."

"Aang, you really need to rest." Katara took his hand lightly and led him to the bed, sitting on the edge. He sat down, still blushing lightly from when she took his hand and sighed.

"I know. I'm just so bored. Can't I just go outside and sit on the stairs or…something?" he looked to her, his silvery-grey eyes begging. She looked to him and smiled, shaking her head lightly as she giggled.

"I just can't say no to that face. Let's go."

"Whoopie!!" Aang jumped into the air, and winced lightly at his still healing back and put a hand to it.

"Careful!" Katara warned, hurrying to him to place her own hand on his bandages, looking from his back to his face. He smiled, nodding lightly as the two blushed and made his way out of the room and outside, Katara at his side. They tip-toed their way past Sokka, who had fallen asleep on the couch. At one point last night Suki had fallen asleep in his arms and he carried her back to her bed in the wing in which she and the rest of the warriors were staying. He had returned to the couch to sleep, incase she had woken up in the middle of the night for any reason.

Once outside Katara and Aang had to squint for the first few seconds until their eyes got used to the morning sun and took a seat on the stairs. Aang sighed lightly and Katara looked to him, sensing something was wrong.

"You okay?"

"Yea…it's just…"

"What?" Aang reached out slowly, taking her hand in his, entwining their fingers together.

"It's just…this meeting with Shan. For some reason I'm just nervous."

"Why Aang?" he turned his gaze from her, looking down.

"I don't know really. What if he sees me as weak? What if he doesn't want to help? What if-"

"What if the sky falls down and Hogmonkeys take over the world?" she smiled, placing her free hand on his far cheek and gently pulled his gaze to her. "Everything is going to be fine. You worry to much." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek lightly, earning a bright blush from him. He squeezed her hand and nodded, smiling to her.

"Thanks Katara." He gently rested his own head on top of hers as she laid her head on his shoulder. The two stayed silent, unspeaking, for a few minuets before Katara's soft voice broke trough the silence.

"What's on your mind?" Aang sighed as he shifted his head gently.

"I don't know…everything. The war, having to meet with Shan, what happened down in that cave with Azula…us…everything." Katara smiled lightly, squeezing his hand.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Aang shook his head,

"No. Not right now. Right now I just want to relax…with you." The two smiled, feeling the blush rising on their cheeks, and so they sat.

Back inside Suki exited her room, stretching her arms above her head. She saw Sokka splayed out on the couch and smiled sneakily, tiptoeing over. She stood at the armrest where his head laid.

"Sokka?" she whispered to him, waiting to see if he woke up. She smirked and slowly lowered a hand to just above his nose, lightly pinging him on the tip of it.

"ACK! No Foo Foo Cuddly Poops!" he jumped up, swatting in the air and turned at hearing a laugh behind him,

"Foo Food Cuddly Poops? Anyone I know?" Suki raised an eyebrow. Sokka chuckled, blushing, and reached out for her hand to gently pull her to sit down next to him.

"Well…this one time, I got stuck in this hole thing in the earth. And this little saber tooth moose lion cub came along and I kinda made friends with the little guy." Sokka recapped the whole story, much to Suki's amusement.

"Aww, what a big toughie you are." She playfully punched him in the arm.

"What can I say? It's just the way I am." Suki smiled to him, resting against him gently, Sokka's arms wrapped around her as her own did around him. She laid her head on his chest and yawned, still slightly tired.

"I fell asleep last night, didn't I?" he nodded, chuckling.

"Yea, right out like a light. I didn't want to wake you up to tell you to go to bed, so I just put you in your bed."

"Oh. Thanks." She shifted slightly, and Sokka did too, allowing the both of them to get more comfortable. He lay back, his back propped up with a pillow against the armrest, one leg stretched out on the couch, the other slung lazily over the side. Suki rested against him, her head on his shoulder. One hand rested on his chest, the other was entwined with one of his own. He smiled lightly. Underneath her normal armor one would never know that Suki's frame was actually quite fit; but under the plain green earth kingdom dress she wore now he could feel the muscles along her back and sides, and blushed. The two laid there a moment, in silence, before Suki shifted her head to rest under his chin.

"Hey Sokka?"

"Yea?" She snuggled into him, closing her eyes.

"Next time you don't have to put me back in my bed." The two smiled and Sokka kissed the top of her head before leaning back himself, closing his eyes.

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Kinda short, I know. But I just got the inspiration for this one in my head and thought it was too cute to make it longer. And I promise, Toph WILL be in the next chapter.

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	3. A Note and a Teaser

**OH MY GOODNESS!! If there's anyone left out there, THANK YOU. I am SOO SORRY this has taken SO LONG. Life got really busy with final reports for school and what not. **

**So anyway…for a treat, I'm going to give you all a quick little teaser into the upcoming chapter to keep you all interested. Once again, thank you SO MUCH for not leaving me! **

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All the Right Reasons:

_An uncomfortable silence lulled over them as Sokka squeezed Suki's hand lightly, looking around the group. _

_"It's going to be a long trip guys. Long…and hard."_

_"But as long as we're together, we'll be fine." Katara's eyes looked around, hopeful and slightly questioning. Aang smiled, nodding. _

_"Exactly. To family." He raised his cup, as did the rest and they toasted, sipping down the sweet liquid. Even after they retired to bed, safe in their dreams, uneasiness continued to loom over them. _


	4. Chapter 3

**So...i realize this is a kinda rushed chapter. And the first time i posted it it was a bit messed up, so i fixed it a bit lol **

**I have my play this week so i really have NO TIME to write...or live for that matter lol. Im freaking out with getting all my lines and blocking perfect, and finishing touches on my costume and wat not. So wish me luck lol OH! and a new chapter will be up within 2-3 weeks. I havent had much time to write with all the final rehearsals and other work im doing for school. **

**And again, thanks so much for all your kind reviews and for sticking around with me hugs to all!!!!**

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Chapter 3 

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"I'm glad to see you are feeling better Avatar Aang." Shan stood at the head of the table in the small conference room. Aang smiled to him, nodding in thanks.

"Thank you. I had a great nurse." Aang side glanced to Katara, giving her hand a soft squeeze under the table. She smiled, blushing lightly. Shan chuckled knowingly and sat in his chair.

"Now then…I know this could be hard, but I need you both to tell me every detail of what happened on that entire day."

Back home, Suki and Sokka were in the backyard, play sparring and of course…flirting. Toph, who for the past few days had been making her way about the island, and had begun to make friends with a few of the other Kyoshians, made her way inside. When she had heard about Suki's and Sokka's reunion she couldn't help but feel a slight tinge of jealousy, and, was it hurt? She had opted to stay away from the infirmary as much as possible, returning only at night to eat and sleep. She sighed as she walked inside and to the backyard. She stopped, sensing Suki tackling Sokka from behind, knocking him to the ground. The two chuckled sheepishly and Sokka moved in to kiss her softly.

"Ugh! Can't you two just ever stop!?" Sokka and Suki's gazes snapped over to Toph,

"Toph?"

"Forget it!" She walked out the door, slamming it behind her. Sokka sighed, looking to Suki. He stood up, helping her to her feet.

"I'm gonna go talk to her…see what's up." Suki nodded and watched him as he walked back inside. Toph sat slumped over with her legs crossed, sitting on one of the large pillows that lay on the stone floor. It was to her advantage she was surrounded by her own element.

"Hey Toph."

"Go away Snoozles."

"What's wrong?" he stepped towards her, and though he probably wouldnt admit it he was a bit nervous.

"I said go away!" she slammed a hand down onto the rock, sending a pillar up at him. He jumped away, shocked at her sudden outburst. He steadied himself, catching the quiet sniffle that came from her.

"Are you…are you crying Toph?"

"No!" she scoffed, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Yes…you are. What's wrong?" He walked toward her, stopping a bit behind her. Toph huffed at his question.

"_Her_. It's you and her. Everywhere I turn, there you guys are. And it's not exactly like I can just turn my back to it and look away, now can I?" Sokka felt a tinge of guiltiness at what she had said.

"Toph.." He began to reach out to touch her shoulder, pulling back as she shrugged away.

"Just forget it Sokka…I'm just being stupid." She attempted to chuckle and stood, ready to leave. She felt a hand gently grab her arm and sat back down.

"No, you're not."

"I am Sokka. I am. I was stupid enough to think…" she stopped to inhale deeply "to think any one…like you…could ever like someone like me." she sighed, turning her head away from where she felt he was, resting her cheek on her knees as she brought them into her, wrapping her arms around her legs. She felt him sit down on the rock next to her. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Toph…"

"No."

"But Toph-"

"No!"

"Will you just listen to me?!" He stopped, shocked at his own outburst. He exhaled, looking to her. "You're wrong."

"What?" She turned her head toward him, her hazy eyes facing to him.

"You're wrong." His voice was softer now, gentler. He cleared his throat before continuing on. "You're a great person Toph. You're a great friend; you're loyal and funny, and strong and talented. And although you might not believe it, you're also really pretty."

"I-I am?" he nodded, smiling lightly at the pale blush that had found its way onto Toph's cheeks. The same pale blush she had been fighting from appearing. As he continued on he couldnt help but feel a light blush on his own cheeks.

"Yea…you are. And who knows…if you were a little older then, maybe…ya know? But I just want you to know that you _are_ cared about. Okay?" He placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling lightly. She nodded, a smile stretching across her face. Her voice was soft, but not un-Toph like.

"Thanks Sokka." he nodded, standing up.

"You're welcome." He looked at her, "so…we okay?" she nodded and he smiled,

"Good." He chuckled, turning to walk back outside. Toph felt him walk off and rested her chin on her knees, smiling still. Yes…she would be okay.

"So it's settled then. We shall work to recruit an army to go against the fire lord. A week before the comet is to arrive we will move in."

"And we'll try to sneak in and save Iroh. He's the only one who can help us." Katara nodded. Aang stood up, bowing in respect,

"Thank you for meeting with us Shan. But I think I need to go lie down." Shan smiled lightly, nodding.

"Of course Aang, you need your rest." Aang nodded and turned, Katara following him out. Once they made it outside she looked to him, squeezing his hand gently.

"Hey…you okay?" He stayed silent a moment, looking down to the ground.

"I don't know, I just…" he stopped walking and Katara stopped next to him, looking to him worriedly.

"What?"

"What if it doesn't work?" he looked to her with the same expression her own eyes held.

"Aang, it's going to. You've got everyone behind you. You've got the Kyoshians, and once we get some recruits you'll have even more people. And you've got all your friends. You've got Sokka and Toph and Suki…. and me." She smiled to him. He returned her smile and hugged her, whispering into her ear.

"Thanks Katara." The two held each other for a few peaceful moments before Katara slowly pulled back, gripping his hand.

"Come on, lets get back home and tell everyone else the plan."

An uncomfortable silence lulled over them as Sokka squeezed Suki's hand lightly, looking around the group. They sat around a dining table, the only two missing where the King and Bosco. Shan had asked to speak with him personally. After Katara and Aang had nervously told Sokka, Suki and Toph no one said a word. After a few seconds, which seemed like hours of eternity to everyone, Aang's soft and worried voice broke through.

"It's going to be a long trip guys. Long…and hard."

"But as long as we're together, we'll be fine." Katara's eyes looked around, hopeful and slightly questioning. Aang smiled to her, nodding. No one said anything else and Sokka stood up, sighing, wearing the same heaviness on his shoulders that they all did.

"I'll go load up Appa. We leave in the morning." He turned, leaving the rest in the room. Suki looked from Katara to Aang before standing up, hurrying out of the room and down the hall. She emerged a few minutes later, walking up behind Sokka. She stopped, watching him as he threw up another sleeping back and dropped her own to the ground. He turned at the sound, seeing her standing there.

"Suki?"

"I'm coming with you." Her voice was strong, confident. Sokka stepped forward.

"What? No. I can't let you Suki. I wont." He gripped her hand with his before bringing one of his hands to cup her cheek. Her eyes looked into his, placing a hand on top of his.

"I want to. I'm not letting you do this without me."

"_No_ Suki. I can't risk you getting hurt or worse. I won't." He moved his second hand to her other cheek, looking into her eyes as he stepped even closer, almost whispering. "I wont."

"Sokka." She took his hands, bringing them down off her face to squeeze them. "I'm not about to let you go off with out me. I'm coming whether you like it or not. We're in this together." She looked into his eyes, a small smile reaching her lips. He returned her gaze and after a short moment chuckled. She smiled lightly, bringing her own hand to his cheek and the two moved in slowly to share in a kiss. Sokka pulled back after a moment, leaning his forehead against Suki's and smiled,

"You're very persistent." She smiled

"Its what I'm good at." The two chuckled before moving on to finish loading Appa and then meet everyone else back inside. Later that evening the small family sat around a table, sharing in a dinner. What would normally be a happy, talkative dinner was quiet, morose. Only a few comments were murmured as the dinner passed on, ending with an even quieter tea.

"Guys?…" Aang's nervous voice broke through the silence. "We're going to be okay… right?"

"'Course we are Twinkle Toes. Nothing to fear." Toph sat back, resting her feet on the table as she sipped at the tea.

"Toph's right. We can't let our fears get the best of us. Besides, as tough as it might get, we've still got each other. We're a big, happy family and that's what counts. We're here for each other. Right?" Suki had turned her gaze to each person around the table before stopping on Sokka, hoping her words had at least reached someone. Sokka smiled ever so lightly and nodded,

"Exactly. To family." He raised his cup, as did the rest and they toasted, sipping down the sweet liquid. Even after they retired to bed, safe in their dreams, uneasiness continued to loom over them.


End file.
